It is expected that Hurricane Irene will be visiting Howell NJ (includes zip codes 07731, 07727, 07728, 07710) this weekend, August 27 & 28, 2011. As of this writing, the eye of the storm is expected to pass very close to the NJ shoreline, just a few miles East of Howell NJ. This means we may experience winds as strong as 90mph and possibly 10 inches of rain.

All First Responders and Township personnel are preparing for the storm in every way they can including (but not limited to):

Evacuation plans are established;

Emergency shelters are being prepared & will be open as needed;

Vehicles, generator sets, & buildings are being readied and secured; and

Personnel are being briefed and assigned tasks and coverages.

The Township of Howell Office of Emergency Management (HT-OEM) has established an Emergency Operations Center (EOC). This EOC includes a call center to handle resident's NON-Emergency issues related to Hurricane Irene.

I will be updating this post as more information becomes available. Please note that I am NOT a representative of the Township of Howell in any way

That said, please feel free to call, text, or email me if you have a non-emergency question and I'll do my best to answer or come up with an answer ASAP. Note: I expect to be out with Ramtown First Aid during some of the event so please be patient).

Please feel free to comment below with any additional information the public should need to know!

Updated 08/26/11 at 2:40pm:

The Monmouth County Red Cross is opening shelters at 5:00PM today at:

Holmdel High School, 36 Crawford's Corner Rd., Holmdel, or

Wall High School, 1630 18th Avenue, Wall Township.

TheGarden State Parkway Southbound will be CLOSED South of Exit 98 begining at 8pm on August 26th for an undefined period.

Updated 08/27/11 at 9:05pm:

THIS REPORT IS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER STATION, LLC

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 812

NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK

755 PM EDT SAT AUG 27 2011

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 0.5 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 50 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF DOVER DELAWARE TO 15 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF BRIDGEPORT CONNECTICUT.FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU2).

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 811. WATCH NUMBER 811 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER

755 PM EDT.

Updated 08/27/11 9:40pm:

A notice from the Township of Hopwell Manager Helene Schlegel

Travel Alert:

Please be advised that the Howell Township Office of Emergency Management strongly urges all residents to stay off the roads as storm worsens. Please be prepared for a complete travel ban as conditions deteriorate. Currently, we are starting to experience down trees, wires and flooding areas.

Further updates will be forwarded.

Helene SchlegelTownship Manager

08/28/11 @ 4:46AM The following alert was issued:

THIS REPORT IS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER STATION, LLC

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ

445 AM EDT SUN AUG 28 2011

COUNTY SPECIFIC MESSAGE:

...RAIN BANDS FROM IRENE WILL AFFECT THE NEW JERSEY SHORE THIS MORNING...

LOOK FOR STRONG WINDS AND VERY HEAVY RAIN AS RAIN BANDS FROM IRENE TO AFFECT OCEAN AND MONMOUTH COUNTIES THROUGH 730 AM. IN THE RAIN BANDS...WINDS COULD GUST TO NEAR HURRICANE FORCE...AND VERY HEAVY WIND DRIVEN RAIN WILL AGGRAVATE ONGOING FLOODING.

6:30am August 28, 2011 Howell Travel Ban.

August 28, 2011

6:30am

Urgent Message:

Howell Township is issuing a full travel ban. No vehicular traffic allowed except for emergency service vehicles.

Helene SchlegelTownship Manager

7:00am - I just woke up.

I slept through the night (a good thing to do during a big storm!) so it It'll be a little bit before I am up to speed. I understand Irene is bareky still a hurricane and made landfall at about 5:30am at Little Egg Harbor Inlet. Little Egg Harbor is in Ocean County, NJ about 15 miles North of Atlantic City and about 40 miles South of Howell.

The winds are blowing here, but not with much of the force of earlier. I guess Irene is here!

We've not yet lost power. Lots of leaves on the ground and it is pouring rain.and from what I can hear "the usual" places are flooding as expected. I'm hearing just about everywhere is impassable because of tress, wires, and or flooding blocking roads.

It is essentially gridlock since there is no way around it in this area and traffic (why is there traffic anyway??) is being diverted essentially in circles... If you don't need t obe out, please wait a little longer!

08/29/11 7am update.

While most of the Manasquan River crossings have been reopened, there are several subject to continued closure. Southatd Ave bridge (by Howell High School) is expected to be closed most of the day. There are still numerous areas without power. In addition to a nightmare for residents, this is leavign many traffic lights out as well. Many intersection crossings are simply blocked off forcing drivers to go off course without direction. Be aware of idiots making U-turns and other "strange moves" in an effort to get back on track.

At this time, the Garden State Parkway Southbound is still closed between Exits 98 to 91.additionally, Power is OUT in the Exit 91 area - lights are not working.

NJTransit still has limited operations (NO rail services at this time) so it certainly is difficult to get anywhere. The 3 NY area airports are expected to reopen later this morning.

At this time In Howell:

Herbertsville Rd is closed between Newtons Corner and Rte 547 (and that light is out).

Newton's Corner Rd between Abrham & Bristlecone is closed due to a pole leaning over the roadway.

Aldrich Road West into Jackson due to flooding (and awaiting a bridge inspection).

Fort Plains Rd in the area of Sunnyside Rd for a washout.

Things have begun to retun to normal, however there are still MANY people without power and others affected by flooding or the effects thereof. Please check on your neighbors. This situation can be overwhelming for many and just knowing someone is thinking of them can be a huge comfort.

08/30/11 AM Update.

As things begin to settle down (at least in our area), crews are catching up a bit. Most roads are reopened after trees and power lines have been cleared however some are still blocked. Additionally, temporary road closures or delays may be encountered as crews continue to work on non-emergent clean-ups and repairs.

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